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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26331442">Out of Your Time</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafeinthemoon93/pseuds/cafeinthemoon93'>cafeinthemoon93</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Edo Tensei, Family Drama, Family History, Family Issues, Fourth Shinobi War, Hokage, Jutsu, Jutsu Gone Wrong, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu | Shadow Clone Technique, Other, Reader is Madara's granddaughter, Reader's father was an Uchiha, Reader's mother was an Uzumaki, Rinnegan, Secret jutsu, Sharingan, Uchiha!Reader, Uzumaki!Reader, sealing jutsu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 09:07:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,792</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26331442</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafeinthemoon93/pseuds/cafeinthemoon93</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You were not from the same village, but Kakashi and you were the same age and were known to each other for years. He had his fame outside Konoha, a genius just like his father and one of the few people who were capable of maintaining a Sharingan despite not being an Uchiha. You, a survivor from the Uzumaki, had your story too, and part of it was a secret you intended to take with you to the grave. You weren’t just Uzumaki; you also had Uchiha blood. But not any Uchiha blood.</p><p>The man who you were going to face, Madara, was your father’s father.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Uchiha Madara/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello! This story is a request I did on my Tumblr (@misserso93), and since I want to unify my works here on ao3 and there, I'll be posting this fic here too. It's divided in 4 parts and has an ambiguous ending.<br/>So, as I said on Tumblr, writing for Madara is the most challenging thing I've ever done regarding stories. He's a complex, unpredictable character, and it's not easy to figure out his nexts moves, even when you are the one who's writing them lol<br/>But I hope you like my first attempt to write for him, anyway!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div class="">
  <p></p>
  <div class="">
    <p> </p>
    <p>As the wind passed by you, its lament leaving a deep impression in your ears, you sensed your friend's chakra trace getting stronger. You were closer. When your legs started to ache after all that time you were running toward him, having only the dark, the arid landscape and the strange air of the night to make you company, you started to lose your hope. It was when scolded yourself for being so pessimistic. You already contacted Kakashi with the help of that girl from the Yamanaka, Ino. He and the others were waiting. They were counting on you.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>Despite that, your friend was not lying when he said they weren’t sure of how much time they could gain for you. You had to be fast.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You were not from the same village, but Kakashi and you were the same age and were known to each other for years. He had his fame outside Konoha, a genius just like his father and one of the few people who were capable of maintaining a Sharingan despite not being an Uchiha. You, a survivor from the Uzumaki, had your story too, and part of it was a secret you intended to take with you to the grave. You weren’t just Uzumaki; you also had Uchiha blood. But not any Uchiha blood.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>The man who you were going to face, Madara, was your father’s father.</p>
  </div>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Because of your father’s last wish – to keep your ancestry hidden from the world and only identify yourself as an Uzumaki – you were not going to let him figure it out. You never felt the urgency of this wish until the telepathic conversation you just had with your friend, when he briefly explained that Madara used a friend of him, Obito, for his plans. This Obito was an Uchiha, and imagining that Madara would easily do the same to you if he met you first was terrifying.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>When you revealed who you were and what you were planning, even the Kages were shocked. The Tsuchikage could swear you reminded him of someone but he couldn’t tell who; now he understood this sensation, but that didn’t make him less surprised. The Raikage and the Mizukage were as surprised as him, but they had no words for you. The Kazekage remained in silence too, but you could tell by the way he looked at you that he thought you were too young to be Madara’s granddaughter, since the Hokage was almost twice your age and she was the First Hokage’s granddaughter.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Tsunade Senju, on her turn, was the only one who clearly stood by your side. She had Uzumaki ancestry too, and you reminded her of her grandmother; she was closer to understand your reasons more than anyone there. Despite admitting it was madness, she wouldn’t stop you, for everyone’s chances were few since the start and standing there doing nothing was as bad as dying during an attempt to put an end to this.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p> </p>
  <p>***</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>There were many people on the same place around Kakashi, you thought while you approached their location. You still couldn’t see them, but you sensed their chakra traces growing bigger, deeper until the sensation was overwhelming. As you came closer, it was easier to separately understand the feelings emanating from each of them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>There was a concentrated, controlled chakra among them; by its relieving trait, similar to Tsunade’s, it was probably from a medical ninja, and it was close to Kakashi’s; at some distance from them there was an immense, warm chakra that reminded your own as an Uzumaki, but blended with it there was a non human, and more powerful one; alongside with it, there was a cold, aggressive one resembling your Uchiha side, and it seemed to be as immense as the Uzumaki one.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>There were three others that were a bit different from the previous ones. The first one was so similar to the Uzumaki’s that you were convinced their owners were from the same family; the second was equally powerful, but there was a gentleness and a courage in it that made you feel safe for a moment; the third one was powerful too, but it was almost an opposite to the previous one: it was strong, intimidating enough to bring you back to the difficult reality.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But those are not the only ones.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>There was another one, one different from all the others, and sensing it impacted you in a way you never thought to be possible for a human’s chakra. It was even colder and more violent than the Uchiha’s you noticed before. It was something monstrous. You didn’t know it, but you immediately understood who it belonged.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>To Madara, your grandfather.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>***</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>According to what Kakashi briefly told you, the plan was that the people who were already fighting Madara were going to get a chance for you to use a sealing jutsu: since you were an Uzumaki, they believed you were more prepared to deal with this and were going to give you the support you needed. The way your friend explained everything to you made it look like something simple.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Yes, you were aware of how unrealistic was to expect your task to be easy. However, when you finally arrived at a hill and your eyes saw what was waiting for you, you stopped and your legs started to shake.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>At the distance, you saw lights exploding toward the night sky, and the ground shook under your feet. Among the flashes of light you saw shadows, dark silhouettes with a slim, mutable shape, like gigantic branches that moved as fast as serpents. What was that? Was it possible that you were seeing the Wood Release? But as far as you knew, this Release was the exclusive ability of the First Hokage, and he was dead. Unless...</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Fighting those shapes there was a blue light with a strange shape that you couldn’t understand, for it was moving as fast as the shadows, but you had your suspicions. Was that the supreme defense known as the Susanoo? If that was correct, Kakashi was really hiding information so you wouldn’t give up on coming.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>When Kakashi told you there were partners waiting for you, you weren't expecting to meet two Hokages, a clan's partner, an Uchiha survivor and a medical ninja with him. You know you can count on them. Still, you're not sure if they really need your help.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
<p></p><div class=""><p> </p><p>Kakashi was the first person you spotted from your place over the hill. He had a girl with pink hair by his side; she was the owner of that chakra that resembled Tsunade’s. Your friend was the first to see you, and soon the girl looked at the same direction as him and saw you. Seeing a known face over there gave you the courage you needed to cross the empty space to meet him.</p></div><div class=""><p>- Kakashi! – you called when you were a few meters than him – Tell me about the things around here. I’m sorry for taking this long to come, I...</p></div><div class=""><p>You stopped in the middle of your sentence once you looked around and saw the people with your friend. So, there were many, many things he wasn’t telling you during the telepathic contact; and judging by his silence now, he understood it was useless to try and say something, because what you saw spoke for itself.</p></div></div><div class="">
  <p>The warm chakra, similar to your own, belonged to a boy with blond hair that were now staring at you as if he just saw a ghost. Close to him, there was another boy with dark hair and a sword; he was the owner of that cold chakra, and you had no difficulty to identify him as a true Uchiha. Was he the survivor from the massacre? Probably.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The blond approached you and you noticed he had big, blue eyes. He smiled and started to talk to you like you were some old friend.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Ah… Hi! Sorry for keep looking at you that way but, you know, you reminded me of someone… By the way, I’m Naruto Uzumaki!</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You smiled and crossed your arms.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Uzumaki, uh? So I wasn’t deceived when I thought your chakra resembled my own. You must be the Naruto about which Kakashi told me once.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Naruto Uzumaki opened his mouth but said nothing. The Uchiha boy remained in silence.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Y/n-san is a survivor from the Uzumaki, Naruto – Kakashi explained – When she was informed of the situation here, she offered herself to help.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The boy seemed to appreciate the idea.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Amazing! It’s like fighting side by side with my family! – he turned to the Uchiha – Sasuke, let’s go...</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A voice was heard behind the boys.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Careful, Naruto. It is too soon to get so excited.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Before any of you had the time to reply, two other people approached and joined you. The first was a blond man with a gentle smile; once you put your eyes on him, you knew he was the person whose chakra resembled Naruto’s. Now that you could see them together, you sensed they could be from the same family, and you were right, for the boy immediately turned to him and called him father. The second was a man with a blue armor and a white fur surrounding his shoulders; he had red marks on his serious face, and you recognized in him the intimidating chakra you sensed before. You also had no doubts that the voice you just heard was his.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And now you also understood why some of the chakra you sensed seemed different from the others’: their dark eyes and the marks on their faces stated that they were Edo Tensei.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Kakashi, the Sandaime and the other Kages are taking care of the other things out there – he said – Now we need to offer support to Hashirama once he manages to attract Madara to us.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Those men were not unknown to you. You have been in Konoha a few times and observed the Hokage Mountain with attention, and because of that you knew who you had in front of you: Tobirama Senju, the Second, and Minato Namikaze, the Fourth.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You turned to your friend.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Kakashi…</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You called him in such a low tone that he took a moment to realize you were talking to him. He stared at you, waiting for what you had to say.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Why didn’t you tell me you had two Hokages, a Sharingan’s user who’s a true Uchiha, an Uzumaki with a Bijuu’s chakra and a medical ninja with you? – you shrugged – If you did so, I wouldn’t have come.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Naruto didn’t seem to understand.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Hey! What’s wrong with us?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kakashi smiled behind his mask.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Well, I just thought it would be too much information to process at once…</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You were still serious.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Yes, but… I think you just don’t need me here.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was the Second Hokage who replied to you. His voice was strong and gathered everyone’s attention by itself.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Y/n-san, you belong to a clan specialized in sealing techniques, which is precisely what we need now. We were informed that you developed a special jutsu for situations like this. That man who’s fighting my brother is not a common individual. We cannot expect to overcome him with simple jutsu. A technique like yours may be our best chance to win.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>So it was the First Hokage who was fighting there, and the shadows you saw before were indeed his Mokuton. But, well, if they had Hashirama Senju with them, why would they need your help?, you thought.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You couldn’t show them you were afraid, of course, so instead of insisting on the same point, you just said:</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Nidaime Hokage, you are well informed about me and my jutsu. I am flattered. But I understand that the Shodai is versed on sealing techniques thanks to his connections with my clan. His experience must be enough for Madara.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- It is true that my brother knows sealing techniques – Tobirama replied – But none of them would serve this time, not in the current circumstances. According to what we know, your technique has a property that neutralizes dojutsu. This is such a complex trait that was out of reach for most of the specialists I knew. If you were capable of including this in your jutsu, you are probably not just an Uzumaki…</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You cursed mentally. This Second Hokage was no joke. There was no way to hide things from him. You sighed and decided to tell the whole story to all of them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- You are right, Nidaime. While my mother was an Uzumaki, my father was an Uchiha.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Everyone, including Sasuke Uchiha, was surprised; Kakashi, who already knew it, was the only exception.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- I created my sealing jutsu with his help – you continued – This neutralizing property was designed to specifically counteract the Sharingan. I believe my father had this idea thanks to his knowledge of Madara’s capacities.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Your father knew Madara? – Tobirama asked.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Yes. He was his son.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Naruto gasped.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- You are… Madara’s granddaughter?!</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You nodded. You sensed some disturbance in the Second Hokage’s chakra. When you turned to him again, you heard him saying:</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- I could swear I sensed something unusual in your chakra, y/n-san.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Yes, he was a sensor shinobi too. And thanks to what he sensed, it seemed that his sympathy for you diminished a bit. A smug grew in your face.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- I always knew I was from Madara’s family, though I can’t say that smelling like him is my favorite thing about myself. But you have nothing to worry about.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You turned to the battle happening at the distance and took a deep breath.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- I have no interest in finding out how a world ruled by my grandfather would look like. If I can do something to stop him, then I’ll do it. But what I’m trying to say is that… I cannot promise to you I’ll succeed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- So, what are you going to do, y/n-san? – Kakashi asked you.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He had a talent to perceive his friends’ feelings without demanding a word from them. That time you turned your eyes to him, hoping that he could use this ability on your favor.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But the assurance you needed didn’t come from him. You felt a hand over your shoulder; at first you thought it was Naruto who approached you, but when you looked back, you found the Fourth Hokage beside you.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Y/n-san. You will have the support of everyone here, so that you don’t need to be afraid of having to work alone.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Now that he was so close, you could see through the marks of Edo Tensei and sense his resemblance to his son clearer than ever. You also noticed that he had in his eyes the same look as Naruto when he first saw you: the look of someone who met a beloved one after a long time. Was it possible that Minato was seeing in you the same person Naruto saw?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You didn’t have time to find out, because the time for you all to start acting has come.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The Nidaime’s voice was heard again.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Y/n-san, how close you need to be to Madara to be able to use your jutsu on him?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The question was as valid as can be, but you couldn’t avoid the preoccupation rising from your lower stomach.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Very close, Nidaime.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Tobirama turned to Minato.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Yondaime, it is better to combine our seals in case she needs to be moved.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You’ve heard about the teleportation technique created by Tobirama, which worked through the use of seals. Judging by the circumstances, it was a wise precaution: you didn’t have to ask what he meant with <em>in case she needs to be moved</em>. Getting too close to your grandfather was not going to be like a family reunion. Still, you weren’t comfortable with the idea of being marked but other people’s jutsu.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Minato must have noticed this, for he turned to you and gave you more details about the Second’s plan.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Listen to me – he said – If something does not happen according to our plan, the best chance to keep you safe is to move you away from him as fast as possible until you have a second opportunity to perform the technique. Something like this can only be done with our Hiraishin. So we need your permission to mark you, y/n-san.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The Yondaime spoke to you with the same gentleness you sensed in him before. Among all of those people, he was the only one whose chakra remained unchanged since the start. Which somehow made you trust him as much as you trusted Kakashi, even though you met him just a few minutes ago.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You nodded at the two Hokages. They put their hands on your back at the same time in order to mark you, and with their touch you felt your courage being restored.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. III</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Being together with the Hokages and seeing Kakashi working with his team is inspiring. Maybe it is what you needed to regain your courage. You soon reach the First Hokage's spot and prepare to do your part. When your eyes lay on your grandfather for the first time, you understand you're going to need all the courage in this world.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div class="">
  <p></p>
  <div class="">
    <p> </p>
    <p>The Shodai was finally managing to move back and lead his opponent to your group’s reach: the branches of his Wood Release were spreading away from Madara’s Susanoo, and the gigantic blue armor were chasing after them, its steps overcoming the distance between them and you as if it was nothing. Their sound, blended with the deep noise of the wood branches coming in and out of the ground, were deafening. The collisions between the chakra of the two warriors was overwhelming.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>And you and your allies were running toward them.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You didn’t know how long those two have been fighting, but now that they were coming closer, it didn’t matter: all that time you’ve spent running to meet Kakashi and the others, as well as the minutes you’ve been talking to them, during which you were informed of the plan, felt like seconds.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You were divided in two groups: Kakashi and the three teenagers were going to work together against the Susanoo itself, while you and the two Hokages were going to meet Hashirama Senju, who was responsible for distracting the enemy.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>Your lungs were burning and your feet were about to fail you when The First Hokage looked and saw his brother approaching. Only then you recognized him as the owner of that chakra imbued with courage that made you feel safe before.</p>
  </div>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Even with all the noise, you were able to hear him scream:</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Tobirama!</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It happened too fast. In a moment, he was at least thirty meters than you; in the next, the first thing you saw before you was his red armor and his long hair floating around him. So, that was the power of the Nidaime’s teleportation jutsu.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The ground was shaking around your spot, but the Hokages seemed to have little difficulty to stand; you couldn’t be left behind, you thought while trying not to fall. The Shodai had his palms united and was the only one comfortable with the circumstances. You passed to his side and he looked around to acknowledge you three, but his attention lingered on you for a little longer.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- So, you are the Uzumaki girl they told me! Y/n-san, right? – he asked; you noticed that even in that situation, he had a soft smile on his lips – Ah, look at this red hair… Reminds me of my wife! She was an Uzumaki too, and you are beautiful just like her!</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You opened your mouth but no word left it. After everything that happened to you during that night, the last thing you expected was to have the First Hokage flirting with you.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>While Minato smiled, Tobirama became impatient.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Behave, brother! It is not the time for being flirtatious! Besides, y/n-san could be your granddaughter. Now look, Kakashi and the others are already on their positions.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>While Tobirama was still speaking, you noticed the other group surrounding the Susanoo, that was now so close that Hashirama’s Mokuton was the only thing separating it from you. It was when you sensed that courage his chakra first inspired in you growing again. Maybe it was his voice or the mere vision of his power in action, but for a moment you felt hope.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The First, you noticed, didn’t seem bothered by his brother’s tone; he just did his part and changed the moves of the branches, and they stretched to wrap the Susanoo’s legs and arms. Then you saw Kakashi using his Doton to create high levels of stone at the giant’s back.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Sakura!</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He screamed as the pink haired girl used the levels as a flight of stairs. You noticed she had black marks on her face: the marks of Tsunade’s Byakugou technique. With a yell, she jumped toward the Susanoo and punched its side. Kakashi and her repeated their moves in collaboration. At the same time, Naruto and Sasuke, who were attacking the Susanoo’s front, were using a technique that combined Fuuton and Raiton against it. And to your surprise, some scratches started to appear on the blue surface.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was indeed incredible to see Kakashi’s team working together. But it didn’t take long until you noticed that something was not right there. When you understood what it was, you looked at the Hokages, waiting for an explanation.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It came from Tobirama.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- No. Madara will not attack. In fact, he is testing Kakashi’s team. He wants to see how far they can get. He is playing with them, as a grown man would play with children.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You didn’t reply. These words were enough for you to understand that your father was not exaggerating when he told you all those things about your grandfather, about what kind of man he was. And because of that, you couldn’t bow to his will and let him do everything as he wished.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You had your hair tied up in two buns, each of them being held by two hair pins – maybe they were the reason why Hashirama saw a resemblance between you and his wife. You took the four pins off and your hair fell in thick, red waves on your back. You had your eyes fixed on the Susanoo’s high forehead, where there was a shadow with a vaguely human shape. That was his exact spot within this armor, then. Still, through the corner of your eyes you noticed the Hokages had their attention on you.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Let him enjoy this moment – you stated – For he will find no diversion while dealing with me.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p> </p>
  <p>***</p>
  <p> </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You were looking at the Susanoo all the time, barely blinking, while Kakashi and his team did their job. On your hands, you were squeezing the two pairs of black hair pins until your palms started to sweat, patiently waiting for your turn.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>As you stared at the battle, you thought f your father, banned from his clan for choosing love above all. He lived what he preached, and you learned everything you could from him. Being the child of an Uzumaki woman, you were educated on the finest sealing techniques known by her family, but it was your father who created the hardest part of the jutsu you were about to use, the dojutsu sealing property. You’ve trained for years until you mastered the technique, and it finally came the day when your hard work was going to be proved. You could not fail. For the world you live in, your father and yourself.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Your heart started to beat faster when the blue light diminished and vanished in the night, and Kakashi and the kids moved away from it. Hashirama moved his hands, and the Mokuton released the giant, disappearing under the soil. The Susanoo finally disappeared, and Madara Uchiha fell back to the floor, under your sight’s reach.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You grinned your teeth and waited to see what was going to happen.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The moon was full and there were no artificial lights around, so that your vision was clear despite being night. That was how you were able to see all the details you kept in your memory long after the battle ended.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>As the Susanoo was undoing, Madara floated into the bluish residues until his feet reached the ground, where he stood still, his arms crossed, his hair touched by the wind, doing nothing, just staring at you all as if he was trying to understand what happened to a fight that was supposed to be only between him and Hashirama.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was not an easy task to describe what you felt when you saw your grandfather for the first time. Maybe you felt the same apprehension that grew in your guts when you first saw the monument at the Valley of the End, but deeper, because you were not looking at a lifeless statue: that time you had a real, revived man before you. There was some sort of resemblance between him and your father, something slight and unexplainable, because nor your father nor any other person would be like this man.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Somehow you felt that there was a difference between him and the Hokages’: there was some part of him that seemed to transcend the Edo Tensei and turned him into something else, something you’d call a real living ghost. The scratches on his reddish armor and around his tanned face were no longer the sign of an imperfect resurrection and were barely noticed; all the attentions were dragged to his eyes, glowing with the scarlet shade of his Sharingan.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He was the first to speak.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- So, Hashirama… You decided to bring the children to play with us.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The Shodai didn’t reply. He was staring at him just like all the others.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- I cannot say I appreciate their interference – Madara continued – But if you want things to be this way, I will respect it.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You didn’t know how or why, but you felt it was the time. You didn’t wait for Hashirama or anyone else to reply to your grandfather, whether with words or jutsu. You just jumped between the First and him, your hair pins on your hands, your eyes fixed on his, not afraid of the Sharingan or whatever trap he might have kept hidden with him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Do not be so excited, Madara Uchiha – you warned – The children are not here to play.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Madara didn’t reply. He just stared at you. If he was waiting to see what you got for him or trying to understand of kind of person you were for just stand between him and Hashirama  like that, you couldn’t tell: it wasn’t easy to read him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You glanced over your shoulder.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Lord First, I’m going to need four columns! Can you help me with this?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Right! – he yelled while uniting his hands again.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Four high columns of wood grew out of the ground around you three. Once they stabilized, you threw your hair pins on their upper sides, one pin for each column, and they turned into black stakes. You did the necessary hand seals and then united your palms just like Hashirama. Reddish glowing chains came out from the stakes and reached to the center, turning into one as Madara was surrounded by them. You did an extra seal and stretched your right arm, showing your palm to him. A paper seal appeared upon his eyes, and from it came out thin chains; soon, the seal and the chains turned into a golden accessory that surrounded his head and obstructed his vision.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Against your legs’ protest of fear, you approached him and made the final hand seal. While your left hand stood in front of you, with its two fingers stretched to control your chakra’s stream, you turned your right palm to his covered eyes.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- You are a dead man, Madara Uchiha. You are out of your time. I will send you back to where you belong, and you are not to disturb this world’s people again.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Silence. There were no curses or struggles as a response to your words. Not a single groan. The only thing you had from him was a smile. And that made you freeze. Your hands started trembling, though you didn’t understand why. What did that smile mean? Why was he smiling when he was about to be sent back to the other side, having all his plans frustrated at once? He should be afraid.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was when you thought the sealing process was taking too long to be completed, and your heart started beating fast.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Well done.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. IV</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Things do not happen as you expected. The work of your entire life, the gift your father left with you, were not enough to save the world from the shadow of your grandfather. What was going on? Will you survive the failure?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div class="">
  <p></p>
  <div class="">
    <p> </p>
    <p>Those were the first words that came from Madara’s mouth directly to you. You saw his smile widening. What was going on?</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>- Well done – he continued, his tone unchanged – This technique of yours is really impressive.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You held your breath, your hands shaking, unable to maintain the seal’s position. A muffled laugh was heard.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>- You must be confused, child. I do not blame you. As you said, I am a man out of his time. So it is not a surprise that you cannot understand what you have in front of you. And this is why you believed such technique would work on me.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>You stepped back, but it was the farthest you could go from him. Something in his chakra started to change, to grow, forcing you to gravitate toward him. Slowly, you felt your own chakra vanishing, escaping your control, and the signs of your jutsu – the chains and the golden seal around his head – started to disappear. The stakes’ size diminished, and they turned back to what they were before, simple hair pins. Without your chakra running through them, they fell to the floor.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>When everything was gone, Madara stared at you, and you saw that his eyes were changed: instead of the red pattern of the Sharingan, there were lilac waves that you’ve only knew from pictures and which existence you doubt once: the Rinnegan.</p>
  </div>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Now that we finished with this child’s play, we can talk properly – Madara said – Let me explain. This dojutsu you are seeing is known as the Rinnegan. It can absorb all ninjutsu, including sealing techniques. As you see, the problem is not with the technique itself. It is just that it wouldn’t work on me. So do not take it personally.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You were still quiet, still not believing it. The work of your entire life, your father’s heirloom, was contained and dismissed as nothing. How?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>When you looked at your grandfather again, you noticed a new expression on his face, something between acknowledgment and nostalgia. He uncrossed his arms and started walking toward you. Yet you couldn’t move. You were so frustrated, so ashamed… It was when a sudden anger took over your senses, something that you thought to be from your Uchiha side, and you ran toward Madara. To attack him or to die, it didn’t matter.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>In your way, you grabbed two of your pins and used your chakra to turn them into stakes again. With a scream, you jumped in front of him and started striking him with the stakes, combining them with every taijutsu move you were capable of remember. However, none of them could’ve hit him: he wasn’t even defending himself; he was just deflecting them with no difficulty. At some point, he grabbed one of the stakes and broke it as a dead branch; then he held your wrist and made you drop the second stake.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- This chakra of yours, child… – he said, looking into your eyes – Soaked in all this pride and anger… It is not an Uzumaki thing. It is from the Uchiha, though you have no dojutsu. Still, it’s so blatant you couldn’t expect to hide it from me.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- What...? – you mumbled.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Madara smiled with what you’d call softness in any other person.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- So, my son had his own child, and as I can see, he raised her well. Combining a sealing technique with dojutsu’s counteraction… It is so like him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- But.. how do you…?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Why the surprise? – he laughed – Of course I would recognize something created by my son. Even more the reminiscence of his chakra on his offspring... my granddaughter.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You weren’t sure of how to feel about this, being acknowledged by Madara as part of his family. But he didn’t give you time to think.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Yes. I figured it out once I put my eyes on you – he explained.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Still holding you by the wrist, he made you approach.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- As it used to happen with your father, there’s something in you that reminds me of Izuna, my little brother. Maybe it is the way you are looking at me now, or anything else – then the nostalgic trait came back to his face – A child who has Uchiha and Uzumaki blood running in her veins. If only I have found you before… I would not waste my time with Nagato and Obito. I would have left my Rinnegan with you, and you would have prepared everything for my return.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>With his free hand, Madara touched your chin and made you look directly into his eyes. You didn’t even consider closing yours; you have no time to react.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Still, it is not too late. Listen. I am now offering you an opportunity, child. I am creating something that will save the people of this world from all their misery, and you can join me in this. Join your family, and help me to help your friends. Think of what is best for them. A wise person would do so.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You started to drown in his words and his eyes. There, you saw something. You saw everything. His childhood; his father; his brother, Izuna, who was really like your father. You saw Hashirama as a child, and he and Madara playing together. You saw your grandfather’s life, the battles he fought, his passion and his dreams. You also saw his loss, his rage and his fear. You felt his suffering as your own. You mourned and cried with him. There were so much that you didn’t know, that your father didn’t tell you, that Kakashi and the others could never imagine, never understand. And Madara survived all of this, and managed to come back. All of this must have served for something. Maybe this was indeed a chance to save people from suffering the same as him. Maybe he was right, maybe…</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A sudden scream cut the air and came to you as if you were coming out of a nightmare. It was the Yondaime’s voice.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Y/n-san! Do not listen to him!</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Then the Nidaime’s voice joined his.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Y/n-san, do not be a fool!</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And finally, the Shodai’s.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- This is not what your father would want, y/n-san!</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Somehow, their advice interfered in the jutsu and gave you the strength you needed to look into Madara’s eyes and stand your ground.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Do not take it personally, grandpa, but I think you should really go back to the other side – you smirked – I’m not joining you, not now, not in a million years. Besides, I don’t like being called a child!</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You tried to release your wrist and step back to join the Hokages and think of a new plan, but you soon found out you couldn’t move. You started to choke, and your feet no longer felt the ground under them. With his right hand, Madara was now grabbing your throat.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- If you do not like to be called a child, you should not behave like one – his tone changed to something impossible to describe but as monstrous – I gave you a chance, but you wasted it. Since this is the choice you’ve made, be ready to pay price for it.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Shaking your feet and trying to take his hands off you was useless. You could wait for Minato or Tobirama to use their seals and take you away, but you didn’t have much time. What were you going to do? You needed to think, and quick…</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>So you didn’t exactly think of it. It just happened. You realized that if you could put all your weight in Madara’s grip, you’d gain a second of distraction from him. So you did it, and when he seemed to wonder what you were trying to do, you pressed your right foot on his chest to get some support; then you wrapped his right arm with your left leg and turned around yourself to release your throat from his hand and hit him with your right ankle. The pain was unbearable and your lungs burned without air, but it worked. Madara released you and defended himself from your strike with his arm.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You fell on the floor and stood there, lying on your back and coughing. The last thing you saw was the hand seal he made to perform a Katon technique. You covered your eyes and felt the air burn as it entered your nostrils; you thought your skin was about to melt. You were about to die…</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The sound of a flow invaded the space around you. When you were able to open your eyes, you saw a water wall in front of you, stopping the fire’s spread: Tobirama was beside you, using his Suiton. A second later and your vision was all blurry, for the collision between the two opposite Releases created a dense, yellowish vapor. You tried to stand up, but someone took you in their arms and you were moved.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>When you looked around, you saw it was Minato.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Yondaime…! – you tried to speak, but the hot air entered your throat and you coughed again.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Please, do not speak now, y/n-san – you heard him saying – Let’s find a place out of this vapor wall.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He used his Hiraishin again and the change in the air was so sudden that you startled. You were now on a higher place; you blinked a few times until the burning sensation disappeared from your eyes, and you could see clearly again: the night seemed darker than you remembered, or it was just the vapor’s effect. The air you were breathing now was freezing.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Minato put you down once you reached that place, but stood by your side, holding your shoulders. You were shaking. You raised your eyes to him, and started crying even before you noticed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Yondaime… I failed – it was the only thing you were capable to say.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But it wasn’t deception nor desperation what you saw in his face. His first response to your words was to smile.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Take some rest, y/n-san – he asked – You did an impressive job, but it might have drained your energy.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Sakura, the girl from Kakashi’s team, approached you and stretched her hands to examine your throat.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- It’s not too serious. I can quickly heal it.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Thank you, Sakura-san – you replied as she used her medical ninjutsu in you.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Right behind her, Naruto Uzumaki had his eyes wide open to you.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- That final strike you used against Madara was incredible, y/n-san! – he stated – I bet even he was impressed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kakashi was there too, and so was Sasuke.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- It seems that Madara had more information that we first imagined – Kakashi deliberated, looking down at the valley from where you just escaped – This can be a problem as big as his power as a shinobi.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>For a moment, no one seemed to have a response for this. You looked down, feeling your hope vanishing. Sakura finished her work, and your pain was gone. You noticed that she had a serious look, but even her was finding hard to maintain any positivity. Everyone’s chakra was growing colder, drowning in frustration, and yours was no exception.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It was when you sensed a change in Minato’s chakra, close to you. He held your shoulders more firmly and looked at each of you. You thought that, more than ever, he was looking like the Hokage he must have been in the past.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>First, he looked at you and Sakura.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- Giving up right now would be disrespectful to the long way we’ve traveled to get where we are.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Then to his son and Sasuke.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- The Shodai, the Nidaime, the Sandaime, the other Kages and every shinobi that came to fight are doing their best right now. We cannot stay behind.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Finally, he turned to Kakashi.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>- I’m sure the Nidaime is forming a new plan at this moment, and the Shodai is using all his strength to stand between Madara and us. They are counting on us.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Minato just said the his last word, and someone teleported to your side. It was Tobirama’s clone. As he soon informed, he came to state the new strategy he created with his brother and to say that they were going to need all the help you could offer. All of you nodded in agreement, and then the clone explained the plan.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You sensed your chakra calming down at his words. The Yondaime was right. Not everything you did was a failure. It was information and the secret of the Rinnegan that put Madara one step ahead. Besides, you knew it was not going to be easy. But the war was far from its end.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>And as long as you not gave up on it, there would be hope for you.</p>
  <p> </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
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